ST. LOUIS – A St. Louis man was sentenced Thursday after taking an Alford plea in the case of a teenager’s shooting death from 2019.

Joseph Renick, 58, was sentenced to 10 years of prison in the Aug. 25, 2019, shooting death
of Sentonio Cox in the city’s Patch neighborhood.

Renick entered an Alford plea for a reduced charge of first-degree involuntary manslaughter. The Alford plea means Alford plea he does not admit guilt, but acknowledges prosecutors have sufficient evidence to get a conviction.

Prosecutors allege Renick and another man backed Cox into a vacant lot in the 7300 block of Vermont Avenue after spotting him and his cousin looking into parked cars. Cox’s cousin ran away, though he remained at the scene.

Prosecutors argued a witness reported to police that another man told Renick to “shoot this piece of (expletive).” Renick reportedly fired a revolver at Cox, hitting him in the head from more than 50 feet away.

Renick said in court Thursday that he wanted to tell Cox’s family “that I’m sorry for their loss,” according to the 22nd Judicial Circuit Court. He had a first-degree murder trial set for next week, but it was dropped with the Alford plea.

Last year, a jury acquitted Renick’s codefendant Brian Potter, 50, of first-degree murder and armed criminal action. Prosecutors allege Potter told Renick to shoot Cox, though his lawyer disputed that claim in a trial.

Meanwhile, Renick had served around four years of prison time in this case and will get credit for time served.